Teachers And Politicians Mount Final Push To Keep Betsy DeVos Away From Public Schools

In the last 24 hours before the U.S. Senate is set to vote on the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary, Democrats, parents and other public education advocates are making their final attempts to prevent her from heading the department.

All 48 Democratic senators are expected to vote against her confirmation. Two Republican senators ― Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) ― announced last week that they would also oppose the pick. In the days since, constituents have flooded the phone lines of Republican senators in hopes of pushing the vote count to 51-49. While many of President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees have generated substantial pushback, in the past few weeks DeVos has emerged as the most polarizing pick.

If no other Republican votes against her, Vice President Mike Pence has said, he will cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of DeVos.